Author: Michael

I am a genuine Christian braucher. I was taught by Rob Phoenix, but have a history of Braucherei (or Powwow as it has become known). My paternal family has a history in the counties of Lancaster, Schuykill, Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry since the 1720's. My first ancestors in this country were of German descent and settled in New Holland, Pennsylvania. Family history states that my 8th great-grandmother (Anna Margaret Hornberger Ellmaker 1703-1779) was known as a local healer and supposedly helped choose the place of the family's homestead based upon her knowledge of "humors" and how the land might affect those humors. Apparently, this knowledge was passed down in my paternal family for some time. I recall my paternal grandmother and aunt writing prayers and psalms on a piece of paper, placing that in water and then having individuals who came to them with some malady, drink the water for healing. I also, upon my paternal grandmother's death found a box amongst her belongings into which was tucked away and old bible from the 1855's and a copy of Hohman's "Long Lost Friend" from the 1856. My purpose is to teach powwow as it was taught to me by my mentor, Rob Phoenix. I am a Christian and only do this by God's will. I do not adhere to the belief by some individuals who believe that some ancient goddess cult was brought to America by the German people to Pennsylvania nor do I believe in any sort of pagan roots for Braucherei. Braucherei is Christian. My ancestors were devout Lutherans and members of the Reformed churches. I am a Roman Catholic. They were not pagans nor had any knowledge of paganism. The idea that braucherei is some sort of pagan magical practice is simply rooted in the grand delusions of some modern individuals who wish to practice paganism but also desire to find some sort of traditional and historical folk practice to validate their beliefs. I state this so that individuals seeking aid from me will understand where I am coming from and how I practice.

Giving an Update and Some Devotions in this Time of Pandemic

So yes, I am still practicing and taking on clients. Unfortunately, with the rise of the COVID pandemic and my work in healthcare, I have not had much time to update this website or to post blogs. I have been exploring Fraktur and have been experimenting with some designs for powwow charms incorporating Fraktur art and have also been working on a project with my friend, mentor and teacher Rob Phoenix. By the way, if you have not checked out his recent book on powwow and divination, I would urge you to do so. It contains a wealth of wonderful information.

Devotions to St. Roch

With the pandemic still raging, I wanted to mention St. Roch. He is the patron saint against plagues. He has quite an interesting life. There are various dates for his birth, but it is accepted that he lived generally in the late 13th to early 14th century. For years, he has been called upon in times of plague. One can even find a plethora of old medals asking his intercession to be delivered from cholera. These are two items from my personal collection showing this devotion.

The first of these is an old Portuguese print from the late 18th century invoking his prayers against the plague:

The second image is of a late 19th century French medal invoking his aid against a cholera outbreak:

I think that asking intercessions to St. Roch during this time of pandemic may be particularly helpful for individuals both for comfort and for divine protection.

The following prayer from Churchpop.com may be of particular use to some individuals:

Prayer to St. Roch

O Blessed Saint Roch,
Patron of the sick,
Have pity on those
Who lie upon a bed of suffering.

Your power was so great
When you were in this world,
That by the sign of the Cross,
Many were healed of their diseases.

Now that you are in heaven,
Your power is not less.
Offer, then, to God
Our sighs and tears
And obtain for us that health we seek
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

(Repeat the following 3 times)

Saint Roch, pray for us,
That we may be preserved
From all diseases of body and soul.

The Stones of St. Michael

Another popular devotion for individuals against the plague were the famous stones from Monte St. Angelo in Gargano, Italy. Essentially, according to pious tradition, St. Michael the Archangel appeared in this cave to a poor farmer. He subsequently appeared several times across the centuries and the cave is one of the holiest in Europe and also one of the oldest.

According to tradition, individuals would carry stones from this cave in order to protect themselves from plagues and other evil sent upon them by the devil.

The stones can be found on many sites on the internet, including Ebay, and some for exorbitant prices. However, the monks in charge of the shrine at the Basilica Santuario San Michele will send out the relics to anyone who asks for them. They do ask for a donation, however, to cover the costs of shipping and the actual reliquary in which they come encased.

If you send a donation (I usually like to send $50.00) and ask for two relics, they will send them to you – but if does take some time.

The official website for the Basilica (where more information may be found) is:

http://www.santuariosanmichele.it

I have always sent my donations via PayPal to michael@santuariosanmichele.it

I simply write a note in the comments section of the transaction requesting the relics. You could also email them for more information before sending the donation.

If you are interested in obtaining these, I would highly urge you to obtain them directly from the shrine rather than a third party “seller.”

Anyways, these are some Catholic devotions that have been used in times of plague in the past. While not necessarily powwow related, they are part of the tradition from which powwow grew out of in Europe.

I hope that this blog post has helped my readers a bit during this troublesome time. I pray that you and yours stay safe and healthy and I ask for your prayers as well.

Michael +++

The feast of St. Colette